--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be just, that is to say, to justify…" description: "\"To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from an exclusive ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/charles-baudelaire-473_criticism_to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its_654892.jpg" --- # To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence… ![“To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from an exclusive point of view, but a point of view that opens up the widesthorizons.” quote by Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/charles-baudelaire-473_criticism_to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its_654892.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/charles-baudelaire-473_criticism_to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its_654892.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/charles-baudelaire-473_criticism_to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its_654892.jpg) > “To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from an exclusive point of view, but a point of view that opens up the widesthorizons.” [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticism should be partial, passionate, and political, offering a limited perspective that expands horizons. **In simple terms:** Criticism must be biased, emotional, and political to broaden view. Key Takeaway Embrace a passionate, partisan stance to deepen insight. Themes criticism politics passion perspective Mood analytical provocative Type literary political When to use this quote - art reviews - political commentary - academic essays - public debates Key Concepts philosophy media theory social critique Questions to Reflect On - When is partisan criticism justified? - How can passion be balanced with fairness? A Different Perspective Bias can alienate audiences and reduce objectivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Criticism Partial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism-partial-4037511/) [Existence Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-criticism-4037513/) [Justify Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify-existence-257161/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Partial Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partial-passionate-4037512/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Things happen for a reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen-for-a-reason/) [View Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view-point-710734/) ## Related quotes > [To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its-existence-criticism-should-2/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“...although the reason for the existence of women is obvious enough, nobody has any real idea what point there is in being a man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jones/although-the-reason-for-the-existence-of-women-is-obvious-enough/) [Steve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jones/) > [“You are alive, and you don’t need to justify your existence. You can be the biggest mystery in your own story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz/you-are-alive-and-you-don-t-need-to-justify-your-existence-you-can-be/) [Miguel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz/) > [“Can you justify your existence then?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/can-you-justify-your-existence-then/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence... on pain of liquidation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-should-all-be-obliged-to-appear-before-a-board-every-five-years/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The individual who has to justify his existence by his own efforts is in eternal bondage to himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-individual-who-has-to-justify-his-existence-by-his-own-efforts-is/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [We are all warriors. Each of us struggles every day to define and defend our sense of purpose and integrity, to justify our existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/we-are-all-warriors-each-of-us-struggles-every-day-to-define-and/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [A man who sets out to justify his existence and his activities has to distinguish two different questions. The first is whether the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/a-man-who-sets-out-to-justify-his-existence-and-his-activities-has-to/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [“Every individual concerned to justify his existence feels that his existence involves an undefined need to transcend himself, to engage in freely chosen projects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/every-individual-concerned-to-justify-his-existence-feels-that-his/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Why do we need to justify God's existence? He exists. We need to justify our own existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/why-do-we-need-to-justify-god-s-existence-he-exists-we-need-to/) [Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/) > [“In particular those who are condemned to stagnation are often pronounced happy on the pretext that happiness consists in being at rest. This notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/in-particular-those-who-are-condemned-to-stagnation-are-often/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The hour when you say, "What does my happiness matter? It is poverty and filth, and a wretched complacency. Yet my happiness should justify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-hour-when-you-say-what-does-my-happiness-matter-it-is-poverty-and/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I feel worn down as a human being who has to constantly justify their existence to other human beings because I'm a minority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-feel-worn-down-as-a-human-being-who-has-to-constantly-justify-their/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [“An existant can never justify the existence of another existant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/an-existant-can-never-justify-the-existence-of-another-existant/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I needed to justify my existence, and I had made an absolute of literature. It took me thirty years to get rid of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-needed-to-justify-my-existence-and-i-had-made-an-absolute-of/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## More by Charles Baudelaire > [Who would dare assign to art the sterile function of imitating nature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/who-would-dare-assign-to-art-the-sterile-function-of-imitating-nature/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”—Charles Baudelaire “The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-greatest-trick-the-devil-ever-pulled-was-convincing-the-world-he/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“This life is a hospital in which each patient is possessed by the desire to change beds. One wants to suffer in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/this-life-is-a-hospital-in-which-each-patient-is-possessed-by-the/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [There is no such thing as a long piece of work, except one that you dare not start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-long-piece-of-work-except-one-that-you/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Our religion is itself profoundly sad - a religion of universal anguish, and one which, because of its very catholicity, grants full liberty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/our-religion-is-itself-profoundly-sad-a-religion-of-universal-anguish/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [But the true voyagers are only those who leave Just to be leaving; hearts light, like balloons, They never turn aside from their fatality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/but-the-true-voyagers-are-only-those-who-leave-just-to-be-leaving/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Amer savoir, celui qu'on tire du voyage! Bitter is the knowledge gained in travelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/amer-savoir-celui-qu-on-tire-du-voyage-bitter-is-the-knowledge-gained/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“Car je cherche le vide, el le noir, el le nu!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/car-je-cherche-le-vide-el-le-noir-el-le-nu/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“I can barely conceive a type of beauty in which there is no melancholy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/i-can-barely-conceive-a-type-of-beauty-in-which-there-is-no-melancholy/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [The vices of man, as full of horror as one might suppose them to be, contain the proof (if in nothing else but their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-vices-of-man-as-full-of-horror-as-one-might-suppose-them-to-be/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Multitude, solitude: equal and interchangeable terms for the active and prolific poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/multitude-solitude-equal-and-interchangeable-terms-for-the-active-and/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Any healthy man can go without food for two days - but not without poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/any-healthy-man-can-go-without-food-for-two-days-but-not-without/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Drink wine, drink poetry, drink virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/drink-wine-drink-poetry-drink-virtue/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Man loves man so much that when he flees the city, it is still to seek the crowd, that is, to rebuild the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/man-loves-man-so-much-that-when-he-flees-the-city-it-is-still-to-seek/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“—But why is she weeping? She, the perfect beauty, Who could put at her feet the conquered human race, What secret malady gnaws at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/but-why-is-she-weeping-she-the-perfect-beauty-who-could-put-at-her/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) [Explore all 454 Charles Baudelaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) ## More Criticism quotes > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [I don't mind positive criticism, but when it is negative and personal, it is quite hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/i-don-t-mind-positive-criticism-but-when-it-is-negative-and-personal/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Lots of relationships fail because we spend more time pointing out each other's mistakes and not enough time enjoying each other's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lots-of-relationships-fail-because-we-spend-more-time-pointing-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. I guess if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/people-believe-that-criticism-should-be-objective-whatever-that-means/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [I welcome criticism. I come from a - I wouldn't say mean, but you've got to have tough skin to be in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saweetie/i-welcome-criticism-i-come-from-a-i-wouldn-t-say-mean-but-you-ve-got/) [Saweetie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saweetie/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Browse all 3,954 Criticism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from an exclusive point of view, but a point of view that opens up the widesthorizons.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Baudelaire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its-existence-criticism-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criticism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its-existence-criticism-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/charles-baudelaire-473_criticism_to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its_654892.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/charles-baudelaire-473_criticism_to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its_654892.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/charles-baudelaire-473_criticism_to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its_654892.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political…” — Charles Baudelaire", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Baudelaire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be just, that is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its-existence-criticism-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/to-be-just-that-is-to-say-to-justify-its-existence-criticism-should/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```